Diablo III

[Bleck]

the new class is totally not the paladin at all nope no sir

[zircon]

I'm really excited.

* Between +10 levels worth of skills/passives, inevitable rebalancing, and legendary skill affixes, we should see a huge proliferation in viable builds. I'm actually pretty surprised at how many viable builds there are in the game right now due to monster power and more density in the earlier acts.

* New loot system in terms of drops, enchanting, rerolling affixes, etc. sounds really good.

* "Loot runs" should satisfy people's desire for totally random stuff. Again between this and the existing density changes in 1.08, it will be viable to farm pretty much anywhere and in any way you want.

* The 'smart drop' system + enchanting/rerolling + crafting = more worthwhile and easier to craft/find stuff than use the AH.

* Paragon 2.0 sounds really good for character customization that people have been really wanting (customize your stat points, utility and so forth).

SirNuts what problems do you think it's not addressing?

[Fureddi]

I'm really excited.

* Between +10 levels worth of skills/passives, inevitable rebalancing, and legendary skill affixes, we should see a huge proliferation in viable builds. I'm actually pretty surprised at how many viable builds there are in the game right now due to monster power and more density in the earlier acts.

* New loot system in terms of drops, enchanting, rerolling affixes, etc. sounds really good.

* "Loot runs" should satisfy people's desire for totally random stuff. Again between this and the existing density changes in 1.08, it will be viable to farm pretty much anywhere and in any way you want.

* The 'smart drop' system + enchanting/rerolling + crafting = more worthwhile and easier to craft/find stuff than use the AH.

* Paragon 2.0 sounds really good for character customization that people have been really wanting (customize your stat points, utility and so forth).

SirNuts what problems do you think it's not addressing?

Welp. Blizzard are getting some money from me again after all...

Just when I thought I've escaped their clutches and killed the WoW addiction xD

[Ryan Jobson]

I'm excited for the expansion, mostly because I just would like more actual story content.

You didn't think the story was god awful to begin with? The only thing I was excited about was the 4 minute trailer with probably a good million dollars put into it.

[Bleck]

the story was bad and as such more story can't not be a good thing because it'll either be better or it'll be more bad which is still arguably better

[DarkeSword]

You didn't think the story was god awful to begin with? The only thing I was excited about was the 4 minute trailer with probably a good million dollars put into it.

I thought the story was fine. I'm not looking for literature here, but as a framing device for the game play and environments, it was pretty good. My only real issue with D3 was that there wasn't enough story content to get me all the way to level 60. I like the game a lot but I wanted a narrative to keep me going. Playing through the same storyline over and over again wasn't really my cup of tea.

[Ryan Jobson]

Yeah I hear ya on that. It's a game based on loot, not the story. It's how it's always been. If you want story go for the elder scrolls or something. I still havent' even completed all of the little side quests.. over 150 unique dungeons all with their own tales to tell...

[DarkeSword]

Yeah I hear ya on that. It's a game based on loot, not the story. It's how it's always been. If you want story go for the elder scrolls or something. I still havent' even completed all of the little side quests.. over 150 unique dungeons all with their own tales to tell...

I know that. But I still enjoy the game from a gameplay perspective. I just felt that it would have been better if the story content carried the player all the way through to level 60. As much as I liked flying across the screen as my demon hunter, I just wanted more plot and story to keep me motivated.

[relyanCe]

dat female crusader will probably make me buy the game by itself.

EDIT: About the cinematic... When exactly did the fuggin' horadrim suddenly suck hard enough to get offed in droves by one dude? These are the same dudes who (almost) singlehandedly bitchslapped the prime evils.

I don't get it

Edited August 23, 2013 by relyanCe

[Fureddi]

When exactly did the fuggin' horadrim suddenly suck hard enough to get offed in droves by one dude? These are the same dudes who (almost) singlehandedly bitchslapped the prime evils.

I don't get it

Because PLOT STICK.

[zircon]

Dramatic effect I guess.

This expansion keeps sounding better and better...

* Items enchanted by the Mystic bind to account.

* All system changes will be available for free to D3 users

* Beta begins in 2013

* "Adventure Mode" as opposed to "Normal Mode"...? Perhaps the much awaited storyless version? http://i.imgur.com/4s7oELE.png

* Same screenshot - what are "Bounties"? Sounds fun!

* Account-wide paragon

* INFINITE paragon

* "Nephalem Trials"?

[Bleck]

So I picked this up again in the wake of the expansion announcement. Highlights;

- I bought a legendary bow that shoots chickens.

- At some point they changed the Demon Hunter's Boar Companion from 'why would you ever use this' to 'why would you ever use anything but this'.

- That being said, the Demon Hunter still seems kind of boring, because I can't figure out why I would use anything but the skills I have now.

- It took me at least ten tries to beat Diablo on Normal, and I beat him on Nightmare my first try. I guess I must be good now, or something.

- Having the Templar when you meet the Templar is pretty ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

- I got a Windforce bow! But I can't use it until I'm max level. This just reinforces my opinion from when the game first came out; legendary items should specifically be usable by any level character, but have damage that scales based on their level, to let's say 15-20% higher than the average DPS that items at that level will have.

[zircon]

My understanding is that in Loot 2.0, legendaries will drop at any level based on the lvl of monsters you're fighting. So a level 10 legendary will drop if you're level 10, with appropriate stats, but then killing level 60 monsters will drop a level 60 version of the same legendary.

[Sir_NutS]

I thought the story was fine. I'm not looking for literature here, but as a framing device for the game play and environments, it was pretty good. My only real issue with D3 was that there wasn't enough story content to get me all the way to level 60. I like the game a lot but I wanted a narrative to keep me going. Playing through the same storyline over and over again wasn't really my cup of tea.

D3's gameplay was excellent, but the story was really laughable and it got worse every act. No one was expecting literature, but as with every aspect of the game we just were expecting it to be AT LEAST at d1/d2 levels. I don't know why anyone would want more of THAT. If the same writers are in charge I would actually want less of it. Much less.

Dramatic effect I guess.

This expansion keeps sounding better and better...

* Items enchanted by the Mystic bind to account.

* All system changes will be available for free to D3 users

* Beta begins in 2013

* "Adventure Mode" as opposed to "Normal Mode"...? Perhaps the much awaited storyless version? http://i.imgur.com/4s7oELE.png

* Same screenshot - what are "Bounties"? Sounds fun!

* Account-wide paragon

* INFINITE paragon

* "Nephalem Trials"?

Now that adventure mode would fix a lot of the problems with D3 grinding, if its actually a story-free free roaming mode that people wanted from the start.

Also what I meant when I said they didn't fix the core problems and are just adding stuff is about the economy. None of this will fix it and in fact will just make it worse after the release boom ends. There's still no AH-free mode and no ladders. So the end game really will not change, you will still be farming for gold, the threshold point of WHEN you start farming for gold may be a little bit farther down the line due to changes in the loot system (still don't believe crafting will make a difference end game) but it'll still be as bad as ever.

Now, with only 1 act, only 1 new class, and only 10 levels in this expansion this should be priced at around 20$ to be worth it. If you think of how many new things Lord of Destruction brought to the table and how it changed vanilla d2, this expansion looks pretty lame in comparison.

[zircon]

Well, a few things.

1. The Mystic now binds items on equip. This means that it will ALWAYS be way more efficient to enchant rather than buy, since enchanted will always be better than the best possible non-enchanted item.

2. Even right now, crafted Archon equipment dominates a lot of Best-in-Slot auction house items for armor. Archon gloves and chestplates are far better than anything you can find, as are crafted amulets. Crafted = bind on create. So I think that if Blizzard has even 1% of a brain they will expand crafting further, and in combination with the mystic, make self-made equipment an even better choice than it is now.

3. Hellfire Rings are already some of the best rings... bind on account.

4. Hasn't been announced formally but Bliz has said that they are considering both ladders and an ironman no-AH mode. Wouldn't be surprised if we saw that, or some elements of it, soon.

5. There is some new system involving taking crap items and making them into something better... something different than just disenchanting.

The state of items right now really is that at least half your slots are better CRAFTED than found. Of course you need to play a lot to find the crafting reagents. The Infernal Machine was also a brilliant step in the right direction. To do the uber bosses, you need to find keys. But you can't buy keys, you HAVE to get them yourself. And then fighting ubers is always more efficient in a group at higher MP levels.

As it stands now, Blizzard has outright admitted that the AH was a mistake. They did not design the game to encourage the AH and that it got used so much was unintended. The current game director has said that he wants people to use the AH to just fill in the gaps, not use it for the majority of their equipment. We're already on that path, with a good chunk of slots being better self-found/crafted as opposed to bought. But he said he wants the % as more like 10-15% AH and the rest self-found/crafted. I'm hopeful.

Edited August 24, 2013 by zircon

[Bleck]

I think from a gameplay perspective crafting is currently unsatisfying because you're still effectively just grinding for gold - what, honestly, is the difference between running a thing over and over to get enough gold to buy a thing on the AH and running a thing over and over to get enough gold to craft a thing?

Gold should play an important role in the game, yeah, but I feel like having more tangible, mechanically-complex goals for the player should be top priority, as opposed to just infinitely grinding and hoping that you get what you want or need.

They should come up with new and exciting ways to make it so that playing the game to get better items shouldn't be a chore.

[Sir_NutS]

Well, a few things.

1. The Mystic now binds items on equip. This means that it will ALWAYS be way more efficient to enchant rather than buy, since enchanted will always be better than the best possible non-enchanted item.

which changes nothing since you'll be buying your items on the AH to enchant them later.

2. Even right now, crafted Archon equipment dominates a lot of Best-in-Slot auction house items for armor. Archon gloves and chestplates are far better than anything you can find, as are crafted amulets. Crafted = bind on create. So I think that if Blizzard has even 1% of a brain they will expand crafting further, and in combination with the mystic, make self-made equipment an even better choice than it is now.

3. Hellfire Rings are already some of the best rings... bind on account.

I highly doubt crafted items will be best on slot right out of the gate for the expansion, that would be incredibly stupid. Maybe down the line they would introduce better recipes after everyone had a hand at grinding for a while, but making the best items in the game to be crafted and not found is just not a good idea at all.

4. Hasn't been announced formally but Bliz has said that they are considering both ladders and an ironman no-AH mode. Wouldn't be surprised if we saw that, or some elements of it, soon.

All this time I've heard the complete opposite to that.

5. There is some new system involving taking crap items and making them into something better... something different than just disenchanting.

Haven't seen that, gotta see how it works.

The state of items right now really is that at least half your slots are better CRAFTED than found. Of course you need to play a lot to find the crafting reagents. The Infernal Machine was also a brilliant step in the right direction. To do the uber bosses, you need to find keys. But you can't buy keys, you HAVE to get them yourself. And then fighting ubers is always more efficient in a group at higher MP levels.

Again crafted items being awesome is great after the game has been out for a while, not right out of the gate.

As it stands now, Blizzard has outright admitted that the AH was a mistake. They did not design the game to encourage the AH and that it got used so much was unintended. The current game director has said that he wants people to use the AH to just fill in the gaps, not use it for the majority of their equipment. We're already on that path, with a good chunk of slots being better self-found/crafted as opposed to bought. But he said he wants the % as more like 10-15% AH and the rest self-found/crafted. I'm hopeful.

Indeed they have admitted to that several times now. But what they have shown really hasn't made clear they really think so. The only solution to this problem is a No AH mode, and they obviously don't want that. I see the gold grind being delayed a little with the new loot, but it will be just that, a delay.

They should come up with new and exciting ways to make it so that playing the game to get better items shouldn't be a chore.

They have done that, it didn't help, or only helped for a few days because the core problem with the game is still there. Diablo 2 didn't need new and exciting modes to be successful. It just needed to be a game about killing hundreds of mobs and get epic loot, a game where its ALL about the loot that's pretty much it.

Edited August 24, 2013 by Sir_NutS

[Bleck]

They have done that, it didn't help, or only helped for a few days because the core problem with the game is still there.

How? When? What was in Diablo 3 or was added in that isn't just another place to stick all the gold you make from grinding?

Diablo 2 didn't need new and exciting modes to be successful. It just needed to be a game about killing hundreds of mobs and get epic loot, a game where its ALL about the loot that's pretty much it.

No, see, that's the problem - Diablo 3 is a game that's all about the loot. There wasn't any PVP, character building is relatively homogenized, there's not really any hidden content or challenges or complex gameplay decisions to be made; the entire game is structured around the acquisition of loot, and that's why almost nobody likes it.

Diablo 2 has extra content like the Pandemonium bosses, more randomized gameplay, less homogeneous classes, a player versus player metagame, etc. There's no reason for Diablo 3 to not have much more than that; no reason beyond listening to sperglord Diablo 2 fans who basically said 'yeah I just want to have a mindless haze of infinite grinding'.

[Sir_NutS]

No, see, that's the problem - Diablo 3 is a game that's all about the loot. There wasn't any PVP, character building is relatively homogenized, there's not really any hidden content or challenges or complex gameplay decisions to be made; the entire game is structured around the acquisition of loot, and that's why almost nobody likes it.

Diablo 2 has extra content like the Pandemonium bosses, more randomized gameplay, less homogeneous classes, a player versus player metagame, etc. There's no reason for Diablo 3 to not have much more than that; no reason beyond listening to sperglord Diablo 2 fans who basically said 'yeah I just want to have a mindless haze of infinite grinding'.

Well Diablo 3 is all about the loot if you look at it as the final purpose of everything you do, but Diablo 3 is really about grinding gold and playing the AH. I agree that D2 had much more randomized gameplay and of course with the new skill system there are no complex gameplay decisions whatsoever.

Sigh, see this is what I mean when I say the core is just messed up, and why I'd rather wait for Diablo 4 than pay for this expansion which just builds more stuff on something that is just not great, and fails to reach its predecessor in almost every level.

[Bleck]

why do all of the wikis for this game suck

[Sir_NutS]

why do all of the wikis for this game suck

Try Diablofans forums.

Speaking of which I booted up the game today to check it out and see how it changed from the last time I played it (1.05 I think). Its mostly the same with the exception of monster density on mp1+ which IMO helps the game A LOT. The game feels much more fun when you can go to your favorite act (act 1 in my case) and farm hordes of monters instead of just a couple here and there.

I played for around an hour on my barb and it felt fun WW'ing stuff again, but after some time farming I ended up browsing the AH for almost an hour getting upgrades again :S. Since most stuff is dirt cheap now with the exception of BiS stuff you can gear up your character in pretty much no time.

I went to the diablofans forums to check for what builds are being used for Wizard, and found a very well done and detailed video (its over an hour long) about a new Archon/Critical Mass build which I tried after watching it (after getting the items I needed from the AH, which again took me quite a while). But how sad is that the video is more than an hour long, and 50 minutes of it are dedicated to browsing the AH for the right items? It's literally 50 minutes of the AH screen and the rest of the video explaining the actual gameplay.

It was a very well done video tho, and the build is fun to play albeit a bit of a no-brainer. I was hoping to find some viable Meteor builds because its my favorite Wizard spell but this will do. But yeah the game is still pretty much about farming that gold to get the build you want from playing the AH. I will be playing on my wizard for a while and maybe check out the new monk builds later (if there are any).

[zircon]

Well again remember that at least half the best items must be crafted...

[zircon]

Both auction houses are being removed.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/10974978/diablo%C2%AE-iii-auction-house-update-9-17-2013

Wowowowowowoow.

This + ladders + everything else... Diablo 3 EXP is going to be amazing.

[Dissidia]

Both auction houses are being removed.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/10974978/diablo%C2%AE-iii-auction-house-update-9-17-2013

Wowowowowowoow.

This + ladders + everything else... Diablo 3 EXP is going to be amazing.

That is exciting indeed. Glad I have my D3 poster up from midnight release, maybe I'll get another one for the expansion if it will be a big release to join my other poster.

[Argle]

If only they removed the requires constant internet connection thing, I might actually play it. Oh well. I have a zillion other games to play.